Apparatus for drying clothing

ABSTRACT

The present apparatus is for drying clothing by supporting and conveying clothing along an endless track which follows a right angular course and which has a loading and unloading zone, a shaker zone and a heating zone extending through a tunnel in which are located heating units and air exhausting units.

United States Patent Obrador 1 July 4, 1972 [54] APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLOTHING I 72] Inventor: Guillermo M. Obrador, Calle Vizcaya No.

341, Barcelona, Spain 122] Filed: March 16, 1970 |2l| Appl.No.: 19,756

130 Foreign Application Priority Data May 3, 1969 Spain ..366764 52 u.s.c1 ..34/162,34/164,34/236 511 1m.c1 ..F26b13/00 58 Field of Search 1.34/l4,69,163,164, 165,236, 34/162; 68/3 ss; 259/1510. 24; 104/58, 95; 134/44,

[56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,755,205 7/1956 Robb et al ..118/57 UX 371,990 10/1887 Stone ..ll8/57X 1,756,066 4/1930 Pineles .134/123 UX 1,781,425 11/1930 Anderson ..134/236 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 670,656 4/1952 Great Britain ..34/162 Primary Examiner-Frederick L. Matteson Attorney-Linton & Linton 57 ABSTRACT The present apparatus is for drying clothing by supporting and conveying clothing along an endless track which follows a right angular course and which has a loading-and unloading zone, a shaker zone and a heating zone extending through a tunnel in which are located heating units and air exhausting units. I

1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL' 4 m2 SHEET 10F 2 GUILLERMO' Mm oannuon ATTORNEY PATENTEDJUL' 4 m2 3. 673 702 sum 2 OF 2 INVEYTOR. GUILLERMO MORA OBARDOR A TTOR NE Y6.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING CLOTHING DESCRIPTION The present invention is concerned with an apparatus for drying clothes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an installation for drying clothing along a continuous circuit in a relatively short time and which permits adding clothing to be dried and withdrawing dried clothing without interrupting the operation of the apparatus.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an endless travelling clothes drier having a transitional course and vibrating section for shaking water from the clothing passing therealong.

A further object of the invention is to provide a track along which clothing to be dried is conveyed and which track follows two consecutive turns of 90 with one leg thereof having a pivotally driven section for shaking clothes vertically and a second leg extending through a drying tunnel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clothing conveyor passing through a tunnel having curtains of air at each open end thereof and heating units along the length of the conveyor within the tunnel.

Further objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing, in which;

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the present clothes drying installation.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the conveyor for the installation. 1

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view through the conveyor.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a support for the conveyor.

FIG. 5 is an enlargement of a drive wheel and a portion of a drive chain extending therearound.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the shaking section of the conveyor track taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partially exploded perspective view of the shaking section.

FIG. 8 is a further sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged exploded view of an end of the track section and pin therefore.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in which like and corresponding parts are designated by similar reference characters, there is shown a continuous right angle closed circuit track 7 with the drive shafi 8 of a drive 9 positioned in the inner comer of said circuit with the loading zone 10 adjacent thereto.

The leg of said circuit including said loading zone has a U- shaped vibration zone 11 in the end portion thereof. Guide wheels 12 are positioned in the inner comers of said vibration zone. Track 7 extends from said zone 11 in parallel stretches to drive 9 and guide wheel 12a and then at right angles in a further parallel stretch to and around guide wheels 12b and 12c.

Drive chain 14 follows the path of track 7 in a manner hereinafter described and both said track and chain extend through an open ended tunnel 15 where heat drying and ironing of the clothing is carried out.

Track 7 is a steel l-beam whose center section 16 is supported vertically by the attachment of its top lateral section 160 and to arm 17 by welding, bolts and the like, of a column 18 as shown in FIG. 4. A plurality of said columns 18 are positioned along the route of track 7 except in zone 11. The lower lateral section 1611 of track 7 provides a support for rollers 27.

Track 7 in its vibration zone 11 is separated as shown at 19 in FIG. 6 from the rest of said track except for links 20 attached to the adjoining bottom faces of section 16b of each leg of zone 11 and pivotally connected by horizontal pin 21 extending through said links.

A pair of extension 22 are each fixedly attached to the top face of a side leg of track 7 adjacent lateral base 110 thereof and support a shaft 23 extending therebetween. A air of eccentric cams 24 are rotatably driven and supporte by a cam shaft 25 driven in any conventional manner by means (not shown), and constantly have shaft 23 supported on the periphery of said cams. Shaft 25 is rotatably supported by arms 18a of a column 18b.

Thus by rotating cams 24, shaft 23 will be raised to the apex of the cams and then abruptly dropped causing an oscillation and shaking of zone 11 of track 7 to shake water from clothing supported in zone 11. The dotted line and arrow 26 in FIG. 6 indicates the pattern of oscillation of track 7 in zone 1 1.

Rollers 27 ride on the upper faces of the lower lateral section 16b of track 7 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each roller 27 is rotatably supported on a stub axle 28 carried by yokes 29 each of a Y-configuration. Bars 31 are pivotally connected to the legs of said yokes and each extend through a link of chain 14 and have hooks of racks 32 extending through the lower ends of said bars 31 for clothing to be hung from said racks by coat hangers for example. A drive wheel 30 driven by conventional means (no shown), can be located horizontally at a position 9 alongside chain 14 as shown by way of example in FIG. .5 whereby teeth 33 of said drive wheel can engage with alternate links 34 having horizontal openings, of chain 14 for moving said chain lonto adjust the length of chain 14 between drive 9 and gearing The tunnel 15 has a series hot air heaters and blowers 36 extending into one side thereof and air exhaust means 37 extending into the opposite side of said tunnel with track 7 therebetween. Air blowers 38 and 39 are positioned at the open ends of said tunnel to provide a neutralizing air curtain across said tunnel ends.

Wheels 12a, 12b, 120, 9 and 35 are horizontally positioned and rotatably supported on vertical shafts extending from a base and each wheel has chain 14 moving around the periphery of the wheel. Wheels 12 likewise have chain 14 moving around the periphery thereof, while said wheels 12 are rotatably supported on telescopic means (not shown), or b connection to shaft 23 or track 7.

Iclaim:

1. A clothes drier comprising a closed circuit conveyor for said clothes having a vertically moveable U-shaped section, a shaft connected to and extending across said moveable section and driven cams supporting said shaft and capable of imparting sharp and intermittent movements to said conveyor section for shaking clothes supported by said section.

* i II I? 

1. A clothes drier comprising a closed circuit conveyor for said clothes having a vertically moveable U-shaped section, a shaft connected to and extending across said moveable section and driven cams supporting said shaft and capable of imparting sharp and intermittent movements to said conveyor section for shaking clothes supported by said section. 